Joe Ajaero, the President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and the union’s delegation are not barking down on its decision to embark on a nationwide strike on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.
Despite President Bola Tinubu’s appeal to the union and his resolve to increase workers minimum wage, the NLC vowed to proceed on its planned nationwide strike.
According to the union, below are the nine reasons for the impending strike.
We want to remind the Bola Tinubu administration that the primary purpose of government as enshrined in section 2 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy in sections 16 (1) and (2) is to harness the resources of the nation for the interest and welfare of the people.
Draw attention to the fact that government’s insensitive and unrestrained resort to neo-liberalism and reign of the market forces have manifestly grounded the nation, increased job losses, poverty and misery.
Show government’s act of bad faith by way of refusing to give effect to the resolutions it proposed and voluntarily signed with us.
Show how the Tinubu administration is morphing into a dictatorship by acting unilaterally and unwilling to listen to other views.
Protest government’s anxiety to please foreign interests (IMF and World Bank) for approval ratings at the expense of ordinary Nigerians.
Challenge government’s policy flip-flops suggesting its unpreparedness and afterthoughts.
Protest government’s continued protection of a few privileged and criminal elements at the expense of the generality of Nigerians.
At the risk of repetition, instead of ameliorating the suffering of the poor, the Federal Government wants to compound it by wanting to regulate prices of commodities sold by the poor while it helplessly watches market forces go on a rampage causing or inflicting mindless violence or pain on the people.
The latest increase in the pump price of PMS has caused more misery and heightened pressure on the congress and its allies to commit to protest in defence of members, poor and vulnerable Nigerians. It is clear that the market forces without some measures of control will only hurt the people and continually enrich the few.